Idris Elba opens up about his Star Trek Beyond 'predatory' villain + new official pic

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While Idris Elba is mostly known for his good-guy roles on Luther, Pacific Rim and as Heimdall in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the actor is all set to play the role of the main villain in director Justin Lin’s Star Trek Beyond.

In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, the man who'll take on the mantle of The Gunslinger in the big-screen adaptation of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower opened up about his role as the next Star Trek Big Bad, Krall. Elba confirmed that the character is not a Gorn but is rather from a new alien species we've yet to encounter within the Star Trek universe.

“I play Krall. This is a man with a definite purpose. I say a man, but he’s not a man. Or is he? What’s interesting about him is that he has a real beef with what the Enterprise stands for. Krall’s a character who’s deeply steeped in hatred — in my opinion, a well-earned hatred — for the Federation. It felt quite political. There’s a relatability to what’s happening in our world. Not everybody’s happy with what everybody calls the good guys.”

Elba also explained the reasoning behind that line in the trailer where Krall says, “This is where the Frontier pushes back,” saying:

“There’s some history that we explore, to understand why he feels the frontier needs to push back. There’s definitely an opposing argument to the good that the Federation think they do. There are purists that believe in independence, and believe that we’re all made differently for a reason, and will fight tooth and nail to defend that. There’s massive relatability to modern world politics in that sense.”

As for what sort of villain we'll get to see when Star Trek Beyond opens, whether he’ll be more of a physical threat or the type of megalomaniacal bad guy the crew of the Enterprise had to face like, say, Khan (the most obvious one), the actor had this to say:

“Krall is predatory. He’s not one for big speeches. He is one for going to get what he wants. If that means having to do it himself, outside of his army, he is not afraid to do that.”

Star Trek Beyond warps into movie theaters for the franchise's 50th anniversary on July 22.